Duke of Westminster dies of heart attack aged 64

The Duke was godfather to Prince William and a close friend Prince Charles and the royal family.

The Duke’s company Grosvenor Group has a property portfolio including the £1bn Liverpool One development and other properties in Mayfair and Belgravia, North America and Japan.

According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography she brought Grosvenor “the estates which would become the cornerstone of the family’s later wealth”.

At just 25, Hugh Grosvenor became the 7th Duke of Westminster on Tuesday when his father died on Tuesday following a sudden illness.

The grand celebration was held in a giant marquee in the ground of the family seat Eaton Hall near Chester in January 2012.

Grosvenor studied countryside management at Newcastle University. He did however, attend Ellesmere College, a public school in Shropshire for his secondary education.

He hit the headlines four years ago for his 21st birthday which cost a reported £5 million, its guest list included Prince Harry.

The dress code was “black tie and neon” and on the drive the 800 partygoers were treated to a fireworks display before a lavish dinner and dancing into the night.

Hugh said at the time that the expense was worth it.

He told the Chester Chronicle at the time: “The party was simply fantastic – a birthday and a party I will never forget”.

The sad news was announced by a spokesperson for the family, who said: “His family are all aware and they ask for privacy and understanding at this very hard time”.

A great patron of charities for wounded veterans, the Duke visited the UAE in October 2014 seeking support for two humanitarian projects, a field hospital for Syrian refugees, and a Dh1.8 billion military rehabilitation hospital in the United Kingdom, the extra capacity of which will be used to help refugees and wounded soldiers from friendly countries such as the UAE.

Hugh Grosvenor will assume the title of Duke of Westminster shortly after the funeral takes place.

He is famously close to Prince William and Kate Middleton – their son Prince George is Hugh’s godson and the young royal family often use his private jet while travelling on holiday – most recently for a summer trip to France and skiing in Switzerland earlier this year. When his father told him he would one day inherit the title and estates, it “almost made me run for the door, slam it and keep on running”.

Things might have been different had a bill seeking to introduce equal rights of succession for all first born children, whether male and female, succeeded in making its way through Parliament.

The long-lasting links between the royal family and the Grosvenor family meant Hugh was not a surprise choice for godfather to George.